Flagship

US, Iran trade strikes, dispute Hormuz status

The US on Sunday launched its heaviest assault on Iran in weeks, while Tehran hit Gulf nations and announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. American military bases in Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman came under fire in retaliation for the US attacks on southern Iran. Even as the US insisted the strait remained open, the flareup is set to weigh on energy and equity markets at the start of the week and raises questions about the future of peace talks, The Washington Post wrote. US President Donald Trump said last week that the ceasefire was “over,” but regional mediators were still working Sunday to shore up the truce and lobby for de-escalation.

Ukraine pursues government shakeup

Ukraine’s prime minister stepped down on Sunday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy oversees a sweeping government reorganization spurred by a new “political strategy.” Zelenskyy said the overhaul would sharpen Ukraine’s focus on priorities including US security cooperation and EU accession, aiming to accelerate weapons deliveries and strengthen diplomatic ties as Ukraine prepares for another difficult winter. The restructuring comes as experts say the war’s momentum has shifted: Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone strikes on oil infrastructure and supply routes inside Russia, increasing pressure on Moscow and exposing vulnerabilities in Russia’s war efforts. But despite Kyiv’s advantages, Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities continue to draw out a costly war of attrition.

Graham’s legacy linked to Trump

US Sen. Lindsey Graham died suddenly Saturday at 71, leaving a key vacancy in the Republican-controlled Senate after a career defined by unwavering support for American military power abroad. A longtime national security hawk, Graham visited Ukraine 10 times after Russia’s 2022 invasion — including days before his death — and was among Congress’ strongest advocates for Kyiv, Israel, and military action against Iran. The Republican’s legacy became “inextricably linked to Trump,” Semafor’s congressional bureau chief wrote: The critic-turned-ally spoke with the president regularly and helped steer his legislative agenda. Graham’s death temporarily narrows the Republicans’ Senate majority. South Carolina’s governor will appoint a replacement, and a fierce special election primary will be held in August to replace Graham on the ballot in the midterms.

South China Sea spat simmers

China on Sunday blasted a US-led coalition that marked the 10-year anniversary of an international arbitration ruling rejecting Beijing’s claim over vast portions of the South China Sea. The group of 14 nations, which includes Japan and the Philippines, opposed “any destabilizing or unilateral actions” that threaten regional stability; China reiterated its rejection of the ruling, while state media dismissed the joint statement as “a piece of waste paper.” The fierce rhetorical clash was a reminder of how China’s assertion of sovereignty over islands, rock features, and waters in the sea continues to hang over regional and global politics. China’s ambassador to the Philippines called it a “thorn” in the side of the countries’ relationship.

Apple-OpenAI suit reflects AI pressure

A fresh legal spat between OpenAI and Apple reflects the escalating fight for AI talent and secrets in Silicon Valley — and the sprint to develop new AI-powered hardware products. Apple accused the ChatGPT maker of directing current and former Apple employees to bring secret information over to OpenAI. The lawsuit highlights how much pressure Apple is under from AI, Semafor’s tech editor wrote: AI “changes the company’s fundamental reality” by allowing users to take disparate technology and integrate it into different interfaces. When this ability reaches consumer devices, “Apple’s software ecosystem no longer matters.” OpenAI, which entered into a partnership with Apple in 2024, hired Jony Ive, the company’s former industrial design chief, to design a yet-to-be-released hardware product.

Architect of modern Qatar dies

The former Qatari emir who transformed the Gulf state into one of the world’s richest countries per capita died at age 74, authorities announced Sunday. After seizing power from his father in a 1995 coup, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani embarked on an ambitious national development program for the then-little-known nation, turning Qatar into the world’s leading exporter of liquefied natural gas. He also bankrolled media giant Al Jazeera and turned the country into a go-to mediator for regional conflicts. “Sheikh Hamad was an iconoclast both in how he ruled and how he left power,” Semafor’s Gulf editor wrote: In a region where leadership changes often happen through death or coups, he abdicated in favor of his son in 2013.

Russian spies use Japan as base

Russian spies who descended on Japan in recent years are now central to smuggling battlefield technology to Moscow — apparently right under the nose of the authorities in Tokyo, The New York Times reported. The operatives were expelled from Western nations after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine; now, in Japan, a secretive intelligence unit poses as diplomats and businesspeople, The Times wrote in a sweeping investigation that also exposed the man leading the operation in Tokyo. Japan has been a “spy paradise” for decades given its lax espionage laws. Ukraine has raised the issue with Japanese officials — the spies help ship sensitive Japanese technology that Moscow uses against Ukraine — but Tokyo has reportedly been slow to act.

Katie Nolan is questioning where sports media is headed. On this week’s Mixed Signals, the sports media host and Casuals podcast creator sits down to talk about navigating two decades of upheaval in the industry. Max and Ben ask Katie why she turned down gambling advertising when it was everywhere, how politics keeps inserting itself into sports, and whether the window that opened for women in the space is closing again. They also get into call-in radio, hockey’s underrated chaos, and what it took for her to become a Jeopardy! champion.

Listen to the latest Mixed Signals now.

More governments are using AI

Estonia introduced an AI-powered “f*ckup finder” to check laws after a wording mistake in a gambling tax act cost it more than $25 million. The law sought to change the tax rate on remote gambling but referred to “skill games,” rather than games of chance or remote gambling, leaving online casinos outside the tax net. A former minister found that commercial chatbots would have spotted the mistake and built a tool to check laws for similar errors, WIRED reported. AI is increasingly embedded in government: Estonia’s parliament will vote on a bill to allow automation of administrative processes, Washington reportedly plans to use Gemini to draft regulations, and Brazil, New Zealand, the UK, and elsewhere have used AI tools to streamline legislative work.

Rocket launch may be on horizon for Europe

The UK’s first vertical space launch may happen next month after years of delay. SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland’s Shetland Islands said a five-week window could open in August, possibly paving the way for what would be the first active orbital launch site in Europe. Originally, launches were planned for 2022, but regulators have delayed licensing: Some rocket companies have moved operations, one to Australia, out of frustration, and one major company went bankrupt. An explosion during a test run in 2024 damaged the launch pad and delayed things further. High-latitude launch bases like the Shetland site are useful for pole-to-pole orbits, common for environmental-monitoring satellites. Norway’s Andøya spaceport is also trying for a launch.